Mayborn Conference Winners

Each year at UNT’s Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference, a winner is picked from all the submitted manuscripts and given both a cash award ($3000) and a book contract. This year’s author relates a relatively unknown story from World War II.

CTA TBD

Each year at UNT’s Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference, a winner is picked from all the submitted manuscripts and given both a cash award ($3000) and a book contract. This year’s author getting what may be a big break is Phil Scearce, whose Finish Forty and Home follows the relatively untold story of the 11th Bombardment Group in the South Pacific during the early years of World War II. Herman Scearce, the author’s father, lied about his age to join the Army Air Corps at 16 — and became a sergeant in the B-24 crew (left).

Other awards were given to personal essay and researched essay. The full release follows.

Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference awards

$15,000 in cash prizes and a book contract with UNT Press

DENTON (UNT), Texas – In the manuscript “Finish Forty and Home,” Phil Scearce relates the true story of the men and missions of the 11th Bombardment Group as it fought alone and unheralded in the South Central Pacific during the early years of World War II.

The Mayborn also recognized 12 other individuals for their exceptional literary nonfiction pieces. A complete list of Mayborn Conference winners follows.

Manuscript contest winners are:

First Place, $3,000 – Phil Scearce, “Finish Forty and Home”

Second Place – Robert Cargill, “See You Later, Deviator”

Second Place – Anita Snow, “Elian”

Personal essay contest winners are:

First place, $3,000 – Kathy Whitman, “Hawk’s Shadow”

Second place, $2,000 – Sallie Moffitt, “Waterwheels”

Third place, $1,000 – Lauren Wolf, “In His Dreams”

Research and reporting-based essay winners are:

First Place, $3,000 – Michael Mooney, “The Man Who Wasn’t There”

Second Place, $2,000 – Thomas DeTitta, “The South Georgia Renaissance and the Rise and Fall of America’s Best Ex-President”

Third Place, $1,000 – Audrie Palmer, “The Brutal Death of Miss Ann”

The 10 best articles and essays will be printed in “Ten Spurs,” the conference’s literary journal. These 10 essays include the six winners of the personal essay and the reporting-based essay categories, along with four others:

Pamela Skjolsvik, “Surrender”

Charlie Lewis, “Apartment No. 9”

Evan Moore, “Redemption at the Rockhound Museum”

Michael Brick, “The Distributor”

For more information on any of the 2010 Mayborn winners contact George Getschow, the conference’s writer-in-residence at [email protected] or 940-565-4564.

Jerome Weeks is the Senior Arts Reporter/Producer for KERA. Previously at The Dallas Morning News, he was the book columnist for 10 years and the drama critic for 10 years before that. His writing has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, American Theatre and Men’s Vogue magazines. View more about Jerome Weeks.